"So, how's the store doing?"

"Quite well, actually. We’ve even hired a new employee, and there haven’t been any major problems so far."

"Oh, you hired someone new again? Things are looking good, aren’t they?"

"The one we hired is Dolpha, the former C-rank adventurer."

"Huh? That Dolpha? Well... if his sister’s not involved, I guess it’s fine."

Lilia mentioned Dolpha, and it seems Rizac also knows about Dolpha’s overly protective attitude toward his sister.

"His combat skills aren’t an issue. If he hadn’t insisted on living in this town with his sister, he would’ve reached C-rank as an adventurer long ago."

"Ah, is that so?"

"This town has a lot of rookie adventurers, and there aren’t many powerful monsters in the surrounding area. Because of that, high-rank requests rarely come through here."

I see. So that’s why adventurers with some experience tend to move on to other towns.

"As for his work so far, there seem to be no issues at all. When it comes to customer service, he might even be better than most people."

"If there are no problems, then that’s great. Dolpha aside, if you ever run into any trouble, don’t hesitate to rely on the Adventurers’ Guild."

"...Thank you."

It’s reassuring to hear that from the Guild Master himself. Still, a part of me can’t help but feel wary—it’s hard to let go of the cautious mindset I developed in my old world, especially when dealing with business partners.

"Tetsuya, don’t overthink it too much. The Guild Master doesn’t bother with fine details. That’s why Patrice is always so busy."

"Hey, shut it! At least I know I’m not good at dealing with details. ...Oh, I get it now. Like Lilia said, just because we’re helping out doesn’t mean we’re going to ask for discounts or demand you supply more products."

"Patrice and I genuinely appreciate you, Tetsuya. Thanks to the useful tools you sell at your store, rookie adventurers are far less likely to get lost in the forest."

"Because of that, we’ve had to send out fewer search and rescue teams, and the guild’s overall expenses have gone down. Plus, our job completion rates have gone up."

Ah, so I’ve been helping not just rookie adventurers but also the Adventurers’ Guild itself.

"That’s why we’re happy to have stores like yours that support rookie adventurers. If any troublesome situations arise, just let us know, and we’ll take care of it."

He said it outright—"take care of it"! And knowing Rizac, he’d probably handle it in a very... direct way, which is kind of scary.

"Thank you. Being a new shop in this town, I’ll be sure to reach out if anything happens!"

It seems they’re genuinely concerned about me and the store. I really appreciate their support. If something does come up, I won’t hesitate to consult them.

"Good! Now let’s drink to that! As a token of appreciation, the guild’s dining hall is stocked with all sorts of meat and fish. Order whatever you want!"

At times like this, it’s best not to be overly reserved. I’ll gladly take him up on the offer.

"Honestly, there are still so many meats and fish I haven’t tried yet. I’m looking forward to it!"

"Try the roasted Red Shrimp and Stripe Salmon; they’re delicious!"

"Tetsuya, the Laminate Bird and Egura Deer meat aren’t local, so they’re worth trying too!"

"Wow, I haven’t had any of those yet!"

The Adventurers’ Guild dining hall indeed had many meats and fish I’d never eaten before. Exploring new ingredients from this other world is always exciting.

After that, I enjoyed the food and drinks while listening to Rizac and Lilia share various tales of their adventures. Rizac, as it turns out, is a former A-rank adventurer and was quite famous. I had a great time, with delicious drinks and a wonderful evening.

"Thank you so much!"

The week has ended successfully. Even the day after drinking with Guild Master Rizac, I managed to keep things under control and finish the day’s business without any issues. If Lilia hadn’t been there to keep me in check, I might’ve overindulged and struggled the next day. Speaking of Rizac, he drank several times more than I did. I wonder if he was okay the next morning…

"Great work, everyone. Dolpha, you’ve done well this week too. You seem to have gotten the hang of things pretty quickly for just one week. Now that the trial period is over, I’d like to officially hire you. What do you think?"

"Yeah, I’d love to keep working here. I have no issues with the job itself, and I find it fulfilling to support rookie adventurers."

"That’s great to hear. Let’s work well together!"

"Thank you! I’ll do my best!"

"Looking forward to working with you!"

"Same here. Let’s make it a good partnership!"

With that, we successfully secured another employee. Things should get a bit easier starting next week. And by the end of next week, if I push myself a bit, the outdoor shop’s capabilities might level up again.

Of course, I’ve spent nearly all our funds on inventory, so the warehouse is about to overflow. It seems like things are going to get busy again.